Box closing machine



June 29, 1937; J, G. BATES 2,085,208

BOX CLOSING MACHINE Filed Oct. 3, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet l June 29, 1937. J. G. BATES BOX CLOSING MACHINE Filed Oct s, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 YE 5. Jesse 6. Bates.

June 29, 1937. J. G. BATES 2,085,208

BOX CLOS ING MACHINE Filed Oct. 5, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 7 cfiasse G Bade-s.

Patented June 29, 1937 UNi'iEh stares @EFEQE BOX CLOSENG MACHINE poration of Illinois Application October 3,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a box closing machine having as an element thereof a portable stapling or other flap securing device provided with an anvil adapted to be inserted beneath the flaps of the box, carton, or the like, that are to be joined to close the same.

In the device of my invention the anvil is in the form of an elongated narrow plate of such dimensions that it may be readily inserted between the lower and upper closure flaps of a fiber board box, carton, or the like. A hand stapler, or other flap securing device, is moved along the anvil in a guideway carried thereabove in spaced relation and the upper pair of closure flaps secured together at desired intervals. The length of the anvil is slightly greater than the widest box which it is designed to close, so that it may be used on that and smaller boxes without adjustment other than of the supporting stand which may be used for the anvil. Where the box or its contents is suiiiciently rigid and strong to support the anvil during the stapling operation, no further support for the anvil is necessary.

It is therefore an object of this invention toprovide a machine for closing fiber board boxes and the like that includes a portable anvil for insertion under the closure fiaps to be stapled or otherwise joined together.

It is a further important object of this invention to provide a portable stapling machine com- 0 prising a hand stapler and an elongated anvil for insertion beneath the flaps to be stapled together and having a guideway spaced thereabove for the stapler to be moved therealong.

It is a further important object of this invention to provide a portable stapling machine and anvil therefor capable of use with various sizes of fiber board boxes and the like.

It is a further important object of this invention to provide an adjustable supporting frame for the anvil capable of accommodating boxes, cartons, and the like, of widely varying heights and widths and operable by a single operator standing at one end thereof.

The invention comp-rises the novel structure and combination of parts hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of this invention and in which similar reference numerals refer to similar features in the different views:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a stapling machine and supporting frame embodying this 55 invention.

1935, Serial No. 43,333

Figure 2 is a top plan View of the supporting frame.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken upon the line IIIIII of Fig. 4.

Figure 4 is an enlarged broken sectional view 5 taken substantially upon the line IV-IV of Fig.

2, showing parts in elevation and a fiberboard box in position for stapling.

Figure 5 is an enlarged broken sectional view taken substantially upon the line V-V of Fig. 2. 10

Figure 6 is a broken top plan view of the anvil of the stapling machine.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional View of the stapling machine taken in a central longitudinal plane, showing portions of afiber board box in 15 stapling position.

Figure 8 is a sectional view through the anvil taken substantially upon the line VIIIVIII of Fig. 6.

In the drawings, there is shown one embodi- 20 ment of this invention, in which a stapling device is illustrated. It should be understood, however, that it is merely illustrative of one type of box closing means and that the invention may assume various different forms. 25

My invention includes a box supporting frame or rack I adjustable to accommodate different sizes of boxes and comprising legs or standards 2 which are connected at their upper ends by longitudinal angle members 3 and transverse end 30 angle members 4. Intermediate longitudinal angle members 5 extend between said end members 6 and are secured thereto. The members 5 form a support for a fiber board box, carton, or the like, when the same is in its stapling position. 35

A pair of spaced plates '6 and B0, are mounted on the angle members 5, plate 6 being secured to said members 5 adjacent one end thereof and plate 6a being slidably supported on said members for movement therealong for a purpose later 0 to be explained. A pair of hollow guide members l are secured in vertical dependent position from each plate 5 and to for slidably receiving posts 8. The posts 3 carry transversely extending channel bars 9 secured to their upper ends. The guides 7 may also be supported by rods To that extend therethrough. Between each pair of posts 8 there is a rack bar 553, which is secured at its upper end to a channel bar 9, as shown in Figs. 50 4 and 5. The posts 8 and rack bars 10 extend through suitable apertures in the plates 6. The rack bars iii are mounted in suitable guide members ll secured to the plates 6 and 5a between the guides l.

A shaft I2 is journalled in the guides I and in bearing plates 13 attached to the angles i. A gear Ma is slidably mounted upon the shaft i2 having a full length spline or key I5. A second gear I 4 is secured upon the shaft l2. The gears l4 and Ma are respectively located in the two guides H, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and are in mesh with their respective bars I0. Upon one end of the shaft [2 there is secured a hand wheel [6 for rotating the shaft 12. For preventing unintentional reverse rotation of the shaft 112, a ratchet wheel I! is secured thereto adjacent said hand wheel and a pawl I8 provided for engagement therewith.

5 The anvil supporting channel bars 9 may thus be raised or lowered together by manual operation of the wheel Hi to bring the supporting surfaces to the level of the top surface of the box to be closed. Furthermore, since the plate 6a is slidable on the angle members 5, the associated channel bar 9 together with the rack bar I 9, gear Ma and its guides ll may be movable manually toward or away from the other to accommodate different widths of boxes.

5 A portable stapling device, generally indicated by the reference numeral I9, is adapted to be rested upon the channel bars 9 when the supporting frame I is used in the stapling of fiber board boxes and the like. This device consists of an anvil 2B and a hand stapler 2| of any well-known or suitable type. The anvil 20 consists of a heavy metal plate 22 having parallel grooves 23 in its upper surface designed to crimp the staples. A pair of suitable metal blocks 24 are secured in spaced relation at one end of the plate 22 for supporting angle members 25 which are secured to the tops thereof and extend substantially c0- extensively with the bottom plate 22.

The upstanding flanges 25a of the angles 25 form a guideway for the stapling mechanism 2|, While the horizontal flanges 25b of said angles 25 which are spaced above the bottom plate 22 forward of the blocks 24 form with such bottom plate a guideway for the flaps of a fiberboard box. The vertical flanges 25a are cut away at their forward ends, as shown in Fig. 4, and a transverse plate 26 is welded to said flanges 252),

which are turned upwardly at their forward ends,

as indicated at 21, to guide the flaps of a box thereunder. Upon the bottom plate 22, there may be secured a plate 28 for serving as a supporting rest for the stapling mechanism 21 in idle position.

In Fig. 4, there is shown a fiber board box or container 29 resting upon the rack I, and in stapling position. The top of this box has overlapping flaps 30 and 3|, as shown in Figs. 4 and '7. These flaps 30 and 3| may constitute extensions or continuations of the sides or ends of the box. After the box is in position on the supporting rack I, the bottom plate 22 is inserted under the flaps 30 to position the anvil in place, as shown in Fig. 7. When the box is in stapling position, the flaps 30 and 3| will be in overlapping relation above the anvil base plate 22. The stapler 2|, which may be resting upon the plate 28, is then moved over the overlapping flaps 39 and 3| and operated for stapling the flaps, as is well known in the art. After the stapling operation is completed, the stapler 2| may be moved back upon the plate 22 and the anvil removed lengthwise until free of the flaps 30 and 3|.

For different sizes of boxes, the supports 9 for the portable anvil 20 must be adjusted as to elevation and spacing. If the supports 9 should not be at the proper elevation, they may be raised or lowered through the proper manipulation of the hand wheel It, as already explained. A single operator standing near the hand wheel It may adjust the supports 9 both as to elevation and spacing and also carry out the stapling operation on widely different sizes of boxes without moving from his position except to insert the anvil under the flaps.

If the boxes to be closed are sufliciently rigid when filled to support the stapling machine and anvil, no supporting frame, such as the rack I, need be used. The anvil is merely inserted under the top closure flaps of one box after another and the boxes stapled with or without being moved from position.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than is necessitated by the prior art. 7

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination, a rack for a box or container, supports carried by said rack, one of said supports being slidably mounted on said rack for movement therealong to vary the spacing of said supports, common means for adjusting the elevation of said supports, a portable anvil having a bottom plate adapted to be rested on said supports while inserted beneath the closure flaps of a box resting on said rack and means on said anvil defining a guideway above said bottom plate for guiding a flap securing device therealong.

2. In a box closing machine, a supporting platform for a box, a pair of vertical posts slidably supported with respect to said platform adjacent each end thereof, an anvil supporting member on each pair of posts, a rack bar engaging each anvil supporting member, means for simultaneously raising or lowering said rack bars, and means for longitudinally adjusting one pair of posts.

3. In a box closing machine, a platform for supporting a box, guides beneath said platform, vertical posts slidably mounted in said guides, transverse anvil supporting members on said posts, a rack bar engaging each transverse member, a shaft, gears upon said shaft for engaging said rack bar, one of said gears and its rack bar being slidable in a longitudinal direction.

4. In a box closing machine, a supporting platform for a box having flaps to be stapled, vertically adjustable standards associated with said platform, transverse members on said standards, a

stapling anvil having a bottom with spaced guide members above said bottom, said guide members being unconnected to said bottom at one end of said anvil for receiving the flaps on said box thereunder and means for vertically adjusting .1

said standards to bring said transverse members at such an elevation that said anvil may be moved thereover for engaging said flaps under said guide members.

JESSE G. BATES. 

